1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to anabolic compounds and their use in promoting growth in food-producing animals
2. Description of the Background Art
A number of macrolide compositions of the general group known as resorcylic acid lactones (RAL's) and their derivatives are known to exhibit some level of anabolic activity, and are useful for promoting growth in food-producing animals Some resorcylic acid lactone derivatives are described by P. H. Hidy et al. in a publication entitled "Zearalenone and Some Derivatives: Production and Biological Activities", Adv. Appl. Microbiol., 22:59-82, 1977. Zearalenone is a resorcylic acid lactone which exhibits anabolic properties when administered to certain animal species Some of its related derivatives, particularly zearalenone and zearalanol, possess significant anabolic properties.
Zearalenone is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,196,019. Reduction of the olefinic group of zearalenone following the reduction procedure set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,239,341, by hydrogenation in the presence of palladium catalyst, will produce zearalenone, and complete reduction as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,239,345 will produce zearalanol Other related compounds which are known in the art include zearalene, zearalanol and zearalane.
Benzoic acid derivatives having side chains which may be closed to form a lactone ring are known in the art, but only as intermediates in the synthesis of RAL derivatives. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,616 and 3,997,568.
There is an increasing need for anabolic substances for promoting growth in food-producing animals. It is important that the compositions to be used have the highest possible level of growth-promoting activity with minimal harmful side effects.